Thank you!!! By voting for me, you voted for the real heroes – the people of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish who want nothing more than to rebuild their homes and communities.  Despite being virtually abandoned, these hard-working Americans keep fighting.  This award is a tribute to them.

When Zack and I started the St. Bernard Project two and a half years ago, we were just two people with an idea and a willingness to help. Very quickly we were joined by other caring people who recognized that the tax-paying residents of St. Bernard deserved to rebuild and get back into their homes.  We soon grew from a small group of volunteers — working on weekends, one house at a time — into an organization with a staff of 32 and 100 to 200 volunteers working daily on 30 families' homes at a time. This outpouring of hard work, advice and commitment from more than 9,000 volunteers and 2,500 donors has made the St. Bernard Project what it is today: a rebuilding organization that can transform a gutted house into a safe and comfortable home and complete volunteer labor in 12 weeks for about $12,000.

But it has not always been easy.  Launching a new organization not based on any existing model has been challenging.  Working in a disaster area is deeply saddening. It is riddled with unexpected barriers and frustrations. At times, our hope was tested, and we had doubts about our ability to make a meaningful impact on our clients' lives.  But then another volunteer group would appear and we'd be reenergized.  A check and an inspiring note from a generous but often unknown donor would arrive in our mailbox, and we'd be able to pay the next bill. Our staff would rebuild another family's home, and we would be revitalized. Along the way we've been reminded of just how insignificant our challenges are compared to those of the families we are trying to help. 

Seeing Terrence Howard, Salma Hayek and Anderson Cooper from the front row of the Kodak Theatre on Saturday was thrilling.  Watching Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys belt out their songs sent chills up my spine.  For a moment I was caught up in the glamour of Hollywood.

But that moment was short-lived. My thoughts returned to the stark realities of life for families back in St. Bernard: the Loze family — mom, dad and four girls — who are still living in a trailer on their front lawn; Chris, a maintenance worker at the local refinery, who recently sat in our office for 30 minutes before he could muster up the courage to ask for help; the 1,000+ tax-paying American families (73% of whom were homeowners before Katrina) who still live in FEMA trailers.  And this is just in St. Bernard Parish.  I thought about the fact that in New Orleans, those numbers are even higher, and, in many areas, the progress is even slower.   I thought about the struggles that families face in Texas, Iowa and Missouri.  Sitting in the Kodak Theatre, I felt disheartened knowing that there is still so much suffering and so much work to be done.

But then I recalled the army of supporters from across the country and around the world who have made SBP what it is: people who spend family vacations rebuilding homes; people who send their hard-earned funds; people who spread the word to friends and family about my nomination and got out the vote!!!  Remembering our army of supporters, my mood was lifted, from despair to hope.

I know that together we can improve the work we are doing in St. Bernard Parish. We can expand into New Orleans, and we can replicate our model in other storm-devastated areas.  Indeed, I know this is what we must do.  We must ensure that families move out of trailers and back into their homes, that seniors live out their lives in their own homes, and that children spend their formative years in homes, not tiny trailers. We cannot simply continue, we must improve and expand.  The operational ethos of the St. Bernard Project — treating our clients the way that we would want our family members treated — demands it.

So, I ask you to continue voting! But this time:

• vote with your feet and Volunteer 
• vote with your voices and spread the word about the St. Bernard Project's needs and goals
• vote with your wallets and support our efforts to increase our capacity in St. Bernard and expand into Gentilly

Because of folks like you, SBP has grown from a two-person operation to a new and effective model for post-disaster recovery.  Please continue to help us grow.  I urge you to think about what you can do to become a hero for our clients.  Zack and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Liz
 
P.S.  If you are a SBP supporter who recruited friends and family members to vote for me, please either send them this letter or guide them to our website.  I want them to know how much we appreciate their support and how much we continue to need their help.